Call by the ERC - Starting Grants for talented early-career researchers (Deadline: 17 October 2018)
Ana Isabel B. B. Paraguay
The ERC Starting Grants are designed to support excellent Principal Investigators (PIs) in a career stage at which they are starting their own independent research team or programme in all scientific fields. Scientific excellence is the sole criterion of evaluation.
Who may apply?
Researchers of any nationality with 2-7 years of experience since completion of PhD, with a scientific track record showing great promise and an excellent research proposal. Candidates must have already shown the potential for research independence and evidence of maturity, for example by having produced at least one important publication as main author or without the participation of their PhD supervisor.
The ERC's evaluation process has been carefully designed to identify scientific excellence irrespective of gender, age, nationality or institution of the PI and other potential biases, and to take career breaks as well as unconventional research career paths into account. The evaluations are monitored to guarantee transparency, fairness and impartiality in the treatment of proposals.
What do the Starting Grants offer?
Starting Grants may be awarded up to €1.5 million for a period of 5 years. (pro rata for projects of shorter duration). However, an additional €0.5 million can be made available to cover eligible “start-up” costs for researchers moving from a third country to the EU or an associated country and/or the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities.
An ERC grant can cover up to 100% of the total eligible direct costs of the research plus a contribution of 25% of the total eligible costs towards indirect costs.
Expected time commitment: With the support of the Host Institution (HI), the successful PIs are expected to lead their individual teams and devote a significant amount of time to the project. They will be expected to spend as a minimum 50% of their working time on the ERC project and a minimum of 50% of their working time in an EU Member State or an Associated Country.
Deadline 17 October 2018.
About the ERC, Brazil and LAC
The ERC is led by an independent governing body, the Scientific Council, and, since January 2014, the ERC President is Prof. Jean-Pierre Bourguignon. The ERC has a budget of over €13 billion and is part of the EU research and innovation programme, Horizon 2020. ERC grantees have won prestigious prizes, including 6 Nobel Prizes, 4 Fields Medals, 5 Wolf Prizes and more.
To date, ten Implementing Arrangements have been signed between the ERC and LAC countries, including with:
- Argentina, with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation, in 2015;
- Mexico, with the Mexican National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt), in 2015;
- Brazil, with the Brazilian National Council of the State Funding Agencies (CONFAP), in 2016.
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